OTT has been a blessing for the film industry: Raihan Rafi

Raihan Rafi is certainly making his way to becoming one of the most popular directors of the country, with the success of his blockbuster film "Poran", and his upcoming "Damal".  

The commercially successful director recently received the Best Scriptwriter (Story) Award at the Blender's Choice-The Daily Star OTT & Digital Content Awards for his web film "Khachar Bhitor Ochin Pakhi".

"As an independent storyteller, I am honored to receive such recognition for my work", he told The Daily Star.

"OTT became an important entertainment medium for independent makers like us in recent years. I am thankful to The Daily Star and Ispahani for opening up a platform that also acknowledges those who work behind the camera -- such as cinematographers, editors and scriptwriters," Raihan said.

"I believe that as a pioneer award show in this genre, this initiative will work as an inspiration to the digital content creators and crews of the mainstream productions as well," the director added.

Raihan Rafi receiving the Best Scriptwriter Award at Blender's Choice - The Daily Star OTT awards.

Raihan Rafi prefers to write scripts of his own directorial projects, and likes to be involved in the entire production process as well. "As a director, I feel that it is my duty to ensure that the stories I take on are perfectly told. I prefer scripts that have a powerful message to it, and my main concentration lies in perfectly communicating that message to the audience," Rafi said.

Take "Khachar Bhitor Ochin Pakhi" as an example," Rafi says, "This movie is very close to my heart. I had decided to bring this story to life a long time ago. However, I did not go into production until my team and I could find the perfect location, actors and crew to execute the film. As soon as everything matched to our expectations, we shot the film and it became a success," Rafi added.

The Chorki produced film won two more awards— Best Film in Popular Category, Best Actress in Critics' Category at the Blender's Choice-The Daily Star OTT & Digital Content Awards.

While receiving the award, the humbly composed storyteller said, "During the pandemic, OTT platforms have produced a multitude of brilliant contents and played a major role in keeping the audiences entertained. With these productions, Bangladeshi content creators could secure their place among audiences, who were previously exposed to international platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime.

"This seems like a milestone for me. We are competing with the best, and we are not losing, but persisting, in this digital ocean," Rafi said while talking to The Daily Star.

"It is remarkable to see the eagerness of Bangladeshi people to watch our movies on the silver screen. Social media and news media play great roles in making movies successful as well. As long as people watch our contents and share their views, perspectives on it through social media or word of mouth -- I can assure that every good movie will be a successful one," Rafi said.

Rafi further discussed the importance of OTT platforms and the changes it made in the industry's overall professionalism, manner in creating content.

"Initially, OTT used to have similar projects as television. However, the manner of production gradually changed as OTT welcomed new storytellers, producers wholeheartedly and it became more professional in terms of dubbing, rehearsing and audition," added Rafi.

Raihan Rafi's upcoming film "Damal" is scheduled to hit the theaters on October 28, this year. The movie stars popular actors, Siam Ahmed, Sariful Razz, and Bidya Sinha Mim among others.

Raihan Rafi's next OTT project is "Nishwas" featuring Tasnia Farin, Imtiaz Barshon, Farzana Chhobi and Safa Kabir, among others. The trailer was released recently, and it will stream on Chorki from September 15 onwards. "Nishwas" (breath) is all about life and death," shares Rafi. "The plot revolves around a hospital, where every breath counts for the people who are suffering," he concludes.